The Village's Boy, Asher
by LittleMissWolfie
Summary: Hiccup is the oddest Viking of all, but Asher Hoffander is absolutely in love with her. When she starts acting even more strange than usual and sneaks into the woods every day, he begins to suspect that there might be even more to this lovely girl than meets the eye. The Girl's Dragon, Toothless, in Asher's P.O.V.
1. The Raid

** This is **_**The Girl's Dragon, Toothless**_** but from Asher's P.O.V. You don't need to read **_**TGD, T**_** to understand this, but I **_**do**_** recommend it.**

** ENJOY!**

The Raid

_I am dreaming. I know I'm dreaming, because Hiccup and I are in the woods together. Her hair, as usual, is down, and she has decorated it with flowers. It doesn't make a difference to me—she's always beautiful._

_ Her pasty skin is lightly flushed, and all I want to do is drown in those sea green eyes…_

I am woken by the sound of my mother's voice: "Asher! They're raiding us again!" I barely suppress a grin.

It's time to kick some Dragon ass.

()()

I meet up with the rest of the fire squad by the well. Snotlout, as usual, automatically tries to suck up to me. I suppress the urge to break his nose, even if he _is_ Hiccup's cousin.

Next, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. They're the idiot twins who are just alike, unless you count Tuffnut's lack of a chest. They're Snotlout's goons, as Fishlegs puts it.

Fishlegs is a really, really fat guy that is obsessed with Dragons. He's the only one (besides me occasionally) who is nice to Hiccup, which has earned my respect.

I'm sure Hiccup is already at the forge. She's Gobber the Belch's apprentice, if only because Gobber and Stoic are friends. That's fine with me. She doesn't need to be out during a raid, when she could get hurt.

"Move, guys!" I order as a Nightmare bursts into flames on the watch tower. They follow my order without hesitation. I'll take care of everything.

As a unit, we run to the watch tower to put out the flames. Just as the flames are partially extinguished, an older Viking screams, "NIGHT FURY!"

I feel my heart stop. Oh, please Hiccup, don't be stupid! Stay inside! My hope deflates when I see Gobber, axe on his hand, rushing into battle. Dammit, Gobber! If you leave Hiccup alone, she won't stay put!

I scan the crowd for that familiar head of red-brown hair. I finally see it, far below the other Vikings', wheeling some contraption up a hill.

What is she up to?

I watch her curiously until the Night Fury hits the watch tower. I am snapped out of it and I rush to help put the fire out. I hear a high pitched scream, and suddenly, Hiccup is fist-pumping and cheering herself. I try to run to her before she sees the Nightmare behind her, but I'm too late. She turns around, points at the Dragon, and starts running when it opens its mouth.

I take off towards her and knock her over as the Dragon breathes some fire over us. "Get out of here, Hiccup!" I yell, leaping to my feet to fend off the Dragon. "The last thing we need is an angry Stoic." Of course, I have a different reason for trying to protect her, but she doesn't need to know that.

She nods at me, jumps up and starts to run towards town. I turn my attention back to the Nightmare. "You _really _pissed off the wrong guy, bud," I inform it. "No one threatens Hiccup, _especially _a butt-ugly Dragon like you!"

I have to hand it to her—Hiccup runs _really_ fast. Within moments, Stoic leads a group of experienced Vikings to help me finish off the Nightmare. Stoic grins at me, and I feel a surge of hope—maybe he can put in a good word to Hiccup for me.

We walk back down to where a crowd of Vikings has gathered around Hiccup, who is being held up like a rag doll by Gobber. She is yelling, "I did it, Gobber! I took down a Night Fury! It crashed near Raven Point!"

The crowd begins to laugh, and I smack my forehead with my palm. Why did she have to say that?

"It's true!" she insists, looking desperate and turning to Stoic. "It really happened this time, Dad! I used my new invention to throw the bolas at it! You gotta believe me!"

Stoic groans and looks at me apologetically. "Good work, m'boy. I feel bad for asking this, since ye've already helped us so much, but could ya escort Hiccup home? We need t' have a meeting, so I can't."

Did he really expect me to refuse? Here I was, in love with his daughter, and he was asking if I would hate to walk her home.

I just nod. "Of course, sir."

As I take her elbow, I can see that her face is slightly flushed, filling me with pride. She really is cute when she blushes.

We walk up the path to her home in silence. I want to break it, but what can I say? "So, you really think you brought down a Night Fury? Cool, tell me if you find it." How can I say that?

When we get to her home, I see a large, smoldering hole in the roof. By the expression on Hiccup's face—dismay—I assume it's right over her bedroom. With how easily she gets sick, I hope the hole is fixed soon. I let go of her elbow, and when I see the frayed tips of her shirt that she probably doesn't even notice, I get mad—at her for being so reckless, at the Dragon for almost killing her, and at myself for not getting to her faster. "You need to be more careful, Hiccup. You could have been killed by that Nightmare tonight!"

I am only slightly aware of the rising sun behind me, and only then because it gives me enough light to see her red face. She turns away from me. I growl, "Fine, be like that. I'll see you around." I spin on my hill and pretend to go back to the village, to my mother, and to my actual life. My world can't revolve around Hiccup, no matter how much I wish it could.

**In the next chapter: Asher is even more puzzled by the amazing girl known as Hiccup, and he talks to his mother about love and life. See you soon!**


	2. Such a Strange Girl

Such a Strange Girl

Though I'm ashamed to admit it, I stick around her home for an extra half hour to make sure she's okay and not planning anything stupid. I look in her window occasionally, and she does various, random things like moving furniture, doing cartwheels, and my personal favorite, drawing.

Hiccup always draws. She has since we were kids. I remember one time when we were kids; she was drawing a picture of a tree near the village where us kids would play. It was so accurate it took my breath away. The way she smiled at me when I complimented it made my five-year-old heart jump. That was when I fell for her, I think.

When I am satisfied that she's staying put, I make my way back to the village. The others are already waiting for me, and Snotlout is laughing. "Man, I feel sorry for you!" he says loudly, clapping me soundly on the back. "You had to walk _Hiccup_ home!" Ruff and Tuff echo his sympathy.

I wave it off. "Well, Stoic asked me to. Have _you_ ever tried saying no to Stoic?" Of course, I wasn't completely opposed to walking Hiccup home, but they don't need to know that.

Snotlout immediately sobers up—well, as sober as he can get. He's like a grown Viking after a few cups of mead—all the time. "Yeah, Stoic can be pretty scary. I bet kids like us will be terrified of me when I become chief!"

I double take. "Since when are _you_ supposed to be chief?"

"Well, no one in their right mind would marry Hiccup, and I'm Stoic's nephew. It's kind of a given, ya know." Snotlout shrugs. "Besides, even if anyone _was_ crazy enough to like Hiccup, Stoic would never let her get married. He's still really torn up about his wife."

Ah, the unspoken one. After Hiccup's mom died, it was a bit of a silent rule that no one say her name. If he ever heard Erika's name, Stoic would go on a depressed rampage. It wasn't a pretty sight, so we always said "the unspoken one" when we talked about her. I'm surprised Snotlout brought it up. It's low, even for him.

I ignore it. You can't fix stupid.

I say, "I'd just love to stay and chat, but Mom's making breakfast. I'll see you later." Of course, I'm lying. I don't like hanging out with Snotlout and his goons, but they're the only socially acceptable friends for me.

I run to the home my mother and I share. I sigh and drop onto a kitchen stool just as Mom sets down my breakfast plate: sausage, bacon, smoked ham, eggs, and a goblet of watered-down mead. It's the same breakfast I get after every raid. "Stoic told me that he had you walk Hiccup home," she says without preamble, making me choke on the swig of mead I just took. "She's an interesting girl, isn't she?"

I mumble a noncommittal answer and shove a bite of eggs in my mouth. When it becomes apparent that she wants an actual answer from me, I say, "She sure is."

"Erika was, too." I jump at the name; how could Mom say the name so casually? "She and Hiccup are a lot alike. She and Stoic actually met when we were your age. Erika was messing with one of the catapults when stoic was walking by, and she nearly took off his head. It gave us all a bit of a laugh, and Stoic fell had. They were engaged a month later.

"That…makes absolutely no sense."

She gives me one of her cocky smiles. "We're Vikings, Asher. We don't make sense."

We eat in silence for a few moments—there's not a lot to say. Breakfasts are usually silent at our house, especially since Dad died in the same raid as Erika.

Finally, just as I am about to leave, my mother says, "Asher, do you like any of the girls in the village?"

I'm glad I didn't have anything in my mouth, as I would spit it out. "Why do you ask?"

"It's Hiccup, isn't it?"

I flush, and Mom smiles knowingly. "Good luck, Asher. Stoic's not going to like it."

I groan. "As if I don't already know that, Mom." I turn around and walk back to the village.

()()

I am walking near the forest when I hear a _snap_. Curious, I peer into the trees and see a familiar, feminine figure (**AN:/ Alliteration!**) coming up the path. Hiccup is teetering every time she steps, and her fingers wander to her forehead every once in a while. Her cheeks are flushed and her hair is full of twigs and leaves.

I decide to lean up against a rock and wait to see what happens. When she sees me, she jumps nearly a foot in the air. "A-Asher! W-What are you d-doing?"

The lie comes easily as I say, "I saw you leave town, so I decided to wait. You've been gone a long time, Hiccup." On impulse, I casually point the dagger I was sharpening at her. "Where were you?"

"Uhm, n-nowhere! I was just out for a stroll, you know! It's such a nice day, you know!" I see her hand brush her forehead and she cringes.

I push her bangs aside and see a faint cut on the otherwise unmarred skin of her forehead. A bit of blood is trickling out of it, and it's sealing up quickly. "What's this? Why is it healing so fast?"

As always when she's nervous, Hiccup's stutter gets worse. "Uh, I accidentally tripped in the forest. You know me, klutzy, klutzy, klutzy!

"Why is it healing so fast? It's almost gone now."

She smacks my hand away, her face flushed. "Leave it, Asher! I've got to go home now!" She pushes past me and runs toward her house.

I watch her retreating form dreamily. No matter what any of the other Vikings say, I think she's perfect.

**I'm sorry for the pause in updates. My friend died on Thursday. In the next chapter: Dragon Training starts and Hiccup starts to get suddenly better. See you soon!**


	3. Dragon Training

Dragon Training

Dragon Training starts the next day after the fleet leaves. While I watch, silently praying that everyone will return unhurt, I catch Hiccup hugging her father out of the corner of my eye. Especially him, I think. I hope he doesn't die.

I run to the village to avoid looking like a stalker. She catches up to the rest of the group. She avoids my gaze the entire walk to the arena, but her face is a bit flushed.

Fishlegs is walking with her, talking animatedly about—what else?—Dragons. "I am_ so_ excited! I've already memorized the Book of Dragons! I'm _so_ going to be the one to kill that Horrendous Nightmare!"

I barely suppress a laugh. Fishlegs—a slayer? If he's lucky, he'll get _one_ Dragon's head. When I think about why he's so excited, I feel a surge of jealousy. Fishlegs is the only one who's nice to Hiccup, so maybe he likes her. She's a Viking girl, so she _must_ be impressed by Dragon slayers.

I _have_ to kill the Nightmare.

We arrive at the arena, where Gobber is waiting for us. He enthusiastically shouts, "Welcome t' Dragon Trainin'! Here, ye'll learn how t' defeat the Deadly Nadder—"

"Speed 8, armor 16-"Fishlegs says excitedly.

"Th' Hideous Zippleback,"

"-11 stealth-times 2-"

"Th' Monstrous Nightmare."

"-Fire-power 15-"

"Th' Terrible Terror."

"-Attack 8, venom 12-"

"Would ye stop that?" Gobber bellows at Fishlegs, shaking his head impatiently. "And th' Gronkle."

Fishlegs leans towards Hiccup and whispers something in her ear, and she whispers back. I feel a wave of jealousy wash over me.

Gobber starts to open the Gronkle's door, making Snotlout panic. "Whoa, wait! Aren't you gonna teach us first?"

Gobber grins, and out of the corner of my eye I see Hiccup cringe. Crap.

"I believe on learnin' on th' job," the crazy Viking says before lifting the log, freeing the Gronkle.

Everyone scatters. After a few seconds of us all running around, Gobber calls, "What's th' first thing ye' need when yer fightin' a Dragon?"

"A doctor?" Hiccup asks. I hope she won't need one.

"Plus five speed?" Fishlegs guesses. What the hell does that _mean_?

I know the answer. "A shield!" I dive to the shield rack, listening absentmindedly as the rest of the class follows.

Gobber continues with his lesson. "Yer shield is yer most important piece o' equipment. If ye have t' choose between a sword or a shield, take th' shield."

When my shield is strapped to my arm, I try to duck out of the Gronkle's field of vision. The twins are blasted, and Gobber cheerily tells them to get their asses out of the ring. He says, "Ev'ry Dragon has a limited number of shots. How many does a Gronkle have?"

Snotlout calls out, "Five!"

"No, six!" Fishlegs corrects proudly.

While Gobber praises Fishlegs, the Gronkle knocks the shield out of his hand. He runs, screaming, towards the door.

Gobber yells, "Hiccup, get in there!" I look to see her cowering behind her shield, and I want to throw my axe at her mentor. She starts to move towards Snotlout and me.

I roll away from the Gronkle and end up next to Snotlout. "I just moved into my parents' basement. You should come by and work out sometime. You look like you work ou—"

I move out of the way again just in time for Hiccup's cousin to get blasted. I repress the urge to laugh mockingly at him. When I stop moving, I'm next to Hiccup. "So…you and me, huh?" she asks uncertainly.

I regret what I'm about to do, but I _need_ to win the honor of killing the Nightmare. "Nope, just you." I duck out of the way just in time for the Gronkle to blast Hiccup's shield out of her hands.

Gobber yells, "One shot left!" as Hiccup races after her shield. I'm too focused on myself to notice that the Gronkle is going after Hiccup again. She turns around too late, staring into the Gronkle's open mouth as it prepares to fire.

"Hiccup!" Gobber cries, rushing into the ring. He hooks his prosthetic hand in the Dragon's mouth, changing its aim just in time. The spot just above her head is smoldering, and some embers fall off. Gobber puts the Dragon back in the room, saying, "That's six! Go back to bed, ye overgrown sausage. Ye'll get yer chance again, don't ye worry."

I want to run to her and ask if she's alright, but I can't—not without arousing suspicion. So I merely listen quietly as Gobber says, "Remember, class. A Dragon will _always_ go for the kill."

Hiccup's face goes beet red and she rushes from the arena, looking on the verge of tears.

()()

I'm disappointed when I don't see Hiccup in the Mead Hall that night. Worry gnaws at my stomach—storm clouds are rolling in. I hope she gets here soon.

I sit next to Snotlout and Tuffnut at the table with Gobber, the other two sitting on his sides. "Good evenin', Asher!" he bellows gruffly. "We're just reviewin' where we all wen' wrong t'day! Where did Asher go wrong?"

I hear the door to the Mead Hall creak closed and Hiccup walks in, drenched. I say, "I mistimed my somersault dive. It was sloppy. It threw off my reverse tumble."

Tuffnut scoffs. "We noticed." I'm not paying attention, though. I'm watching Hiccup as she sits at the lone table next to the one we're occupying. She keeps fingering her notebook absentmindedly.

"It was so 'Asher' though!" Snotlout defends. I only barely stop myself from knocking his teeth out because Hiccup is in the room.

Gobber seems to be with me. "Ye've got t' be tough on yerselves! Now, where did Hiccup go wrong today?"

She cringes and sends a glare Gobber's way as Ruffnut says, "Uh, she showed up."

Tuffnut adds, "She didn't get eaten." I want to break his jaw,

I try to reassure her by saying, "She doesn't know what to do or where to be," coupled with what I hope is a friendly face. She sends a forced smile back.

As he speaks, Gobber slams a familiar book on the wooden table. "Thank you, Asher. Th' Dragon Manual! Ye need t' eat, breathe, and _live_ this stuff."

I ignore the following conversation, instead watching Hiccup's face. It seems almost—_numb_, like something earth shattering had just occurred before she came tonight. I only break from my trance when I hear her gentle voice saying, "So, I guess we'll share?"

I can't be bothered right now, even if it _is_ Hiccup. I push the book towards her and say, "Read it."

On my way out, I hear her sarcastically say, "Goodie. I have it all to myself."

()()

The next day we tackle the Deadly Nadder.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see that Hiccup is calmly talking to Gobber, even under attack from the Deadly Nadder. Fishlegs is clinging to her, riling up a surge of jealousy. Why was he closer to her than I was?

I'm ignoring everything else. I have to beat the Nadder. It might get Hiccup's attention! As the Nadder rears its ugly head towards her idiot cousin and me, Snotlout says, "I'll take care of this," and throws his hammer at the beast. It doesn't even come close, making the Dragon actually start laughing at the idiot.

I leap onto the wall and try to distract the Nadder. Just when it is just about to shoot a fireball my way, I hurl myself off the maze…landing right on Hiccup.

I ignore Fishlegs and Gobber's curious look as I barely register something soft under my right hand. My axe is caught in her shield, which is strapped to her arm. I ignore Tuffnut and Ruffnut making catcalls my way, as I don't understand why. I finally wrench the shield free of her arm and swing it at the Dragon, knocking it out.

"Is this a joke to you?" I demand of the small girl, still on the ground. She looks horrified, and when I look at her arms crossed over her chest and small tears in the corners of her eyes, I realize why. I offer my hand, apologizing. "Oh, I'm sorry—"

I hear Snotlout call, "How did you not notice? I mean, _look_ at those jugs!" I want to punch his face in. How could he make such a lecherous comment about his own cousin? I bite back the urge to say that, yes, I know just how large her bust is. I had spent most of my teenage years mastering the art of starting at them without getting caught.

His right-hand man agrees. "Yeah. Compared to her, Ruffnut's a board!" I am spared the duty of knocking the male twin on his ass, as his sister has taken the honor.

Fishlegs has one of his rare, semi-cool moments. "Leave her alone, you assholes!" he orders, arms spread in front of Hiccup protectively. Hiccup doesn't deny his hand and he heaves her up, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. He sends a glare my way, and leads her up to where Gobber stands, also glaring at me.

()()

I wait a few hours to let Hiccup cool off before I try to approach her again. After I swing by her house, I go to the smith, but I'm dismayed to find that only Gobber is in the shop. I don't want to test his patience, but I have to know if Hiccup was there.

"Gobber, have you seen Hiccup?" I ask, casually leaning on the counter.

The old Viking stiffens when he hears my voice. "No, haven' seen 'er since Trainin'. I think she wen' t' th' forest after."

I growl. "Tell me the truth, Gobber. _Why_ would Hiccup be in the forest? Just tell me where she is so I can apologize to her!"

He slams his hammer-hand on the counter a few centimeters away from my hands. "I'm tellin' ya, I don't know where she is!" Gobber yells, frustrated. "And, even if I did know, I wouldn't tell ya! What ya did…it hurt her feelings, ya know. If her dad finds out, yer a dead man."

"It was an accident!" I defend.

"It didn't hurt her that ya _touched_ her, boy! It hurt that ya didn't notice!"

"Why are girls so complicated?" I groan, putting my head in my hands.

"Beats me."

()()

We all gather at the watch tower for dinner the next night, having had the day off due to the previous day's…event. Hiccup sat far away from the rest of us, and my jealousy flared when Fishlegs joined her.

Gobber begins to tell us a story about how he lost his arm and leg, making Hiccup slam her head into her table. I guess she's heard this story before.

"…an' _that's_ when he took my arm! An' I could see the look on its face; I was delicious! He must've passed along th' word, 'cause it wasn't a month before another took my leg!" Gobber bellows before tearing a piece off his mystery meat of the day.

Fishlegs speculates, ""Isn't it weird to think that your arm is _inside _a Dragon? Like, if you still had control over it, you could kill it from the inside."

"Man, I am so angry right now," Snotlout interrupts in that annoying way of his. "I will avenge your beautiful arm and your beautiful leg! I'll cut off all the Dragons' legs—with my _face!_" Out of the corner of my eye, I see Hiccup facepalm.

When Gobber speaks again, Hiccup's head whips around. "Nah, it's the _wings_ ye gotta go for. If a Dragon can't fly, he can't get away. A downed Dragon is a dead Dragon."

She leaps from her seat, says goodbye to Fishlegs, and darts to the stairs.

**Wow~ Such a _long_ chapter! I was going to go longer, but I figured I'd better stop! In the next chapter: Asher tries to apologize to Hiccup, who is steadily getting much better at Dragon Training. See you soon!**


	4. Mysterious Hiccup

Mysterious Hiccup

The next morning, as I'm walking past the smith, I hear the familiar, feminine grunts from inside that indicate Hiccup is working on something. Why is she there so early, though?

A few moments later she seems to be trying to sneak out of the smith, making me even more curious. She has a weird piece of leather tucked under her arm. "Hey, Hiccup," I call in a friendly voice.

She stops in her tracks, and when she turns around, her face is flushed. "A-Asher! W-What are you doing here?"

I try not to look at her too closely, because I'm afraid she'll see how nervous I am. "I, uh, wanted to apologize…you know, for what happened in the ring the other day."

I hear her anger as she growls, "Thanks for reminding me," and tries to push past me. My fingers curl around her wrist, and she jerks it, making me lose my grip. "Don't touch me! It's not like you'll notice the difference or anything!" She then runs toward her house, leaving me to feel completely stupid.

()()

"Today is about teamwork!"Gobber shouts from where he stands safely behind the arena's railing. The Hideous Zippleback has already released his gas, and now the green stuff is expanding to fill the arena. "One head spews gas, one head ignites it. Your job is t' find th' right head and throw th' water on it."

Snotlout is lying on the floor after he made a crude comment about Hiccup (which is so perverted that I'm not even going into it.) and me and Ruffnut and Fishlegs and Hiccup are the only two teams left today. I'm nervous.

Suddenly, Tuffnut is whisked off into the smog, only to return a few moments later screaming, "I am hurt! I am very much hurt!" I roll my eyes. I then hear Fishlegs's whimper as the Zippleback points a head near him, and a small splash indicating him trowing the water. Suddenly, he screams loudly and runs out of the ring.

"Go, Hiccup!" Gobber orders, making me pale. Is Hiccup okay? I hear another splash, and a something that sounds suspiciously like the Dragon laughing, and I'm about to rush over to her when I hear something odd.

Hiccup yells with confidence, "Back to your cage with you!" The fog is clearing up, and I can see her making shooing motions with her hands. I'm not the only one gaping, because _the Dragon is actually backing up!_ "Get back!"

When the Zippleback is in its cage once more, she tosses something inside and slams the door before she turns back to us. "Uh, are we done now? 'Cause, I've got some things I need to do." Gobber nods and she races out of the arena, making the rest of us watch in stunned silence.

_Ho. Ly. Crap._

* * *

**I've decided to update in honor of DRAGONS: RIDERS OF BERK premiering today! I'll hopefully have TDGH updated too, but don't hold your breath.**

**In the next chapter: Asher begins to get jealous of the other boys' attention, and Hiccup's behavior gets even more suspicious. See you soon~**


	5. Suspicious

**Hello, everyone! Has everyone been watching Riders of Berk? It is, in my opinion, COMPLETELY AWESOME! The only complaint I have is that Astrid and Hiccup aren't dating.**

**Anyway, here's a new chapter!**

Suspicious

As the days continue, Hiccup's behavior gets stranger and stranger. One day, not too long after the Zippleback, she comes into the arena a little later than the rest us. She's slipping something green into her pocket as she takes her place next to Fishlegs.

Gobber opens the door, releasing the Gronkle. I still remember that first day and fear for Hiccup. What if she has PTSD? I don't want her to get hurt.

The Gronkle seems to remember her, making a beeline towards her when he sees her. My heart stops, and everything seems to go in slow motion.

Her eyes widen.

Her hand goes into her pocket and she takes out a long blade of light green grass, clenching her fist.

Her eyes close.

Her clenched fist moves towards the Gronkle's snout.

I heft my axe over my shoulder and rush the Dragon.

Suddenly, though, it freezes and falls to the ground contently, and it almost sounds like it's purring. When I look at Hiccup, confused, she looks just as shocked as I am.

Gobber hoots loudly and claps her smartly on the shoulder. "Good job, Hiccup!" He turns to the others, grinning broadly, as if he and not Stoic were her father. "You see? _That's_ how it's done!" She ducks her head, face red.

As we leave the arena, Tuffnut is sidling up to her. My blood boils. He is so _obviously_ flirting with her! When his arm goes around her shoulder, I'm about ready to throw him into the ocean, but Hiccup says, "I left my axe in the ring! I'll see you guys tomorrow!" and runs off back to the ring.

She didn't bring an axe today.

()()

Hiccup doesn't show up for lunch or dinner that night, or breakfast the next day. I'm about to skip Dragon Training to look for her when she walks into the arena, face glowing. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

The Nadder greets us today, eyes wide and breathing rapid. It seems like something has occurred to Hiccup, whose gaze is locked with the Dragon's. I rush it with my axe, as I had with the Gronkle, and her hand disappears for a moment before the Nadder passes out, snoring.

That night at the Meade Hall, Hiccup sits across from Fishlegs, and the two are whispering like cohorts-in-arms. I feel yet another wave of jealousy. _Stupid hormones_.

Suddenly, the rest of our classmates swarm Hiccup, and Tuffnut is sitting so close to her he might as well be on her lap. I glare hotly at them before turning back to my mutton.

()()

As usual, Hiccup is gone until mid-morning the next day. When she comes to the arena, she is holding her side like it hurts. Without preamble, Gobber releases our new foe, the Terrible Terror. It's the smallest Dragon I've ever seen. Instead of the entire door swinging open, the lever opens a doggy door. Tuffnut takes one look at the small green thing and lets out a loud, obnoxious laugh. "It's like the size of my-AHH!" The Terror jumps the male twin before his profanity can be finished, and I almost let a bark of a laugh escape my mouth.

Before anyone can really react, a small beam of light hits the ground, catching the Terror's attention. When I whirl around, Hiccup is manipulating the light with her hammer to distract the Dragon.

It leaps off Tuffnut's face and runs after the light, running right back behind the doggy door and letting Hiccup kick it closed.

Snotlout comes up behind me. "I heard Tuffnut and Ruffnut's dad is thinking about a marriage contract between them." I feel my face heat.

_Not if I have anything to say about it._

()()

I go into the forest later that afternoon to let off some steam. Time after time I chucked my trusty axe at the various trees, leaving Odin knows how many gouges in them. After about ten minutes of this, I heard a sweet voice call out, "Be careful! The trees in this forest are nasty little buggers."

I whirl around to see Hiccup, carrying a large wicker basket that smells of fish. "Hiccup?" I demand, flustered. "What are you doing out here?"

Her face flushes. "I'm just…on a walk! You know, it's such a nice day and all." I barely register her nervous chuckle.

I take a step closer to her, and she flinches away. I reconsider the idea and tear my gaze from hers. "Look, Hiccup, I'm really sorry about what happened. It was a complete accident, and I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."

Some sheer force of will brings my gaze back to hers. "I'm not mad about you _touching_ me, Asher." After that, she mumbles something under her breath before she looks at me again. "What I'm upset about is that you acted like it was a guy's chest. Girls are really sensitive about their chests, Asher. Even Ruffnut would've been upset—you saw how she hit Tuffnut when he insulted her bust!"

I didn't think about it like that. How could I have _done_ that to her? "It wasn't that I didn't notice. In the heat of battle, I just didn't have time to process it," I try lamely.

Her eyes are hard. "That still doesn't excuse what you did."

I'm desperate. "What can I do to make it up to you, Hiccup?"

She thinks for a moment before coming up with, "You can go back to the village and not follow me!" before she tears off into the trees.

()()

I'm walking past the smith that night when I hear the familiar sounds of Hiccup tinkering away. "Hiccup?" I call, wondering what she was doing in there so late.

I hear a soft swear and she leaps through the window, slamming it shut. "Asher! Hi! Hi, Asher. Hi." She's stuttering. Something's up.

"What are you doing here so late?"

"I'm, uh...working on something!" she says lamely.

"In the middle of the night?" I demand, unconvinced.

"Yeah! It's a secret!" She puts one slim finger to her lips, and I almost blush at how cute she is. "So, uh, don't tell anyone, okay?" Suddenly, something almost pulls her back through the window, and she disappears from my view.

I walk back to my home in a daze. At least she's not mad anymore.

**Okay, that kinda sucked. **

**I'm sorry about how long it's been between updates, but I _do_ have other stories, school, a teeny-weeny social life, and a slave driver for a band director. Not to mention how clingy my boyfriend is...ugh.**

**In the next chapter: Asher finds out Hiccup's dirty little secret. See you (hopefully) soon~**


	6. Dirty Little Secret

**More Computer Applications writing...**

Dirty Little Secret

The next day, Hiccup is nowhere to be found. I just assume she's trying to avoid her father, who's getting back today.

I spend my morning wandering around the village, trying not to think about Hiccup. What if she _was_ still angry? And what in Odin's name was she working on so late at night? Why was it so secret?

About lunch time, the fleet arrives. Hiccup is still nowhere to be found. I remember Snotlout's comment from yesterday and bristle. _Are they really in a marriage meeting?_ The idea quickly gets blown out the window when I see the twins harassing Fishlegs.

By the time the sun sets, I'm sufficiently worried. Where could Hiccup _be? _I'm about to assemble a search party when she stumbled out of the forest, blushing and giggling and looking extremely proud of herself. Her hair is windswept and leaves are stuck to her clothing.

I bristle again. Is she _meeting_ someone out there? If so, why sneak around? Of course, she could just be drawing...No, she's meeting someone. A guy from another village or something like that. I feel like I can breathe fire right now, I'm so mad.

I'm going to get Hiccup, no matter what.

()()

The next day is the final test. Hiccup is pale as we stand in the center of the arena, waiting for Gobber to unleash the Gronkle on us once more. I want to reassure her, but I'm still mad about yesterday. So I let her worry.

The fight is over before it begins. The Dragon makes a beeline to Hiccup and she must do something to it, because it collapses, tongue lolling out to the side. Gothi points at her, and the entire village starts cheering. She, herself, looks terrified. I wonder why. As soon as Gobber releases her shoulder, she tears out of the arena.

()()

I'm wandering around the village later that day, still thinking about how odd Hiccup was. Most people would be proud to kill their first Dragon in front of a village...but, then again, Hiccup isn't normal.

As I pass her house, she comes out, a large leather bag slung over her shoulder. She freezes. I morph my face into one of nonchalance. "Asher!" she exclaims in horror.

"Hello, Hiccup," I say cooly. "What's in the bag?"

Seemingly instinctively, she moves the bag behind her body, only slightly obscuring it from my view. "Nothing! Don't follow me!" she tries to order, attempting to move past me.

Realization dawns on me and I catch her wrist. "Are you leaving, Hiccup?" Guilt flashes on her face, and my eyes grow wide. "Why? You get to kill the Nightmare in front of the whole village! This is the biggest moment of your life, and you're running away?" I demand desperately. _You're leaving me?_ I want to say.

Her face contorts. "You wouldn't understand! No one in this village will ever understand!" I'm shocked that she says that. She says it like she isn't a Viking. She takes the opportunity to shake my hand off her wrist. "Just leave me alone, Asher!"

"No, I won't!" I shout, barely registering the fact that her arms are unusually hard as I grab them, like they were mostly muscle. "Why are you leaving? Is it a guy? Someone from another village?"

I see her face flush. "No! Of course not! Why would you think that, Asher? There's only one guy, and he's-" Her face turns an even brighter red as she cuts off, rips out of my arms, and runs towards the forest. I take off after her.

()()

I hear her footsteps slow about halfway through the forest. Man, she runs fast! I hear a sigh of relief as she reaches what seems to be a drop in the landscape.

I grab her shoulder, making her squeak. "Let me go!" she orders.

I know what I'm going to do a second before I do it. "Not until you tell me why you're leaving!" I say, and I press my lips to hers.

My heart sinks when she freezes up, but she quickly relaxes and kisses me back, my vice-like hold now a gentle embrace.

When we separate, I wrap her in my arms. "I love you, Hiccup," I say, feeling her jump. "I have for a long time. I'm not gonna let you just, just _leave_ like this!" After what seems like an eternity, her slim arms wrap around my neck. My stomach drops.

"Oh, Asher, I'm so happy right now," she sighs, and my cheeks feel warm. The good feeling leaves when she pulls back. "But...I can't stay. There's something that I can't do here, and someone is relying on me to do it. Could you forgive me?"

I feel scared now. Who's she taking care of? Does she have a...a kid? _No, of course no__t!_ I chastise myself. _How would she have been pregnant without the village knowing?_ "Why? Please tell me, Hiccup!" I beg.

Her face morphs into a guilty expression. "I...I'd have to show you for you to believe me," she says carefully, making me curious. "You have to promise you won't tell anyone in the village about this. Do you promise?" She sounds desperate.

Without missing a beat, I say, "Anything, Hiccup."

Something that sounds like a sigh comes out of her mouth. "Follow me," she orders, and hops off the edge. My hearts stops. _What is she _doing? I peek over the edge, and I'm relieved when I see her standing in a canyon, smiling slightly. I, too, jump over the edge.

She gives me an unreadable look and calls, "Toothless!"

My greatest nightmare darts out of a hollow tree and runs at Hiccup.

A Night Fury.

**Hey, guys! I would have had this up yesterday, but our Computer Applications class is only so long and my laptop doesn't want to work for me...**

**Anyway, yeah, sort-of-cliffie! Of course, you all already know what's going to happen in the next chapter.**

**In the next chapter: Asher experiences something completely out of this world. See you soon~**


	7. Amazing

**Wow...my computer's working!**

Amazing**  
**

The Night Fury is rubbing up against Hiccup, and I instinctively move back and grip the dagger Hiccup has strapped to her hip (that's right, I don't have any other motive...). She smacks my hand slightly, giving me a "Nuh-uh." She then gestures to the Dragon."Toothless, this is Asher. Asher, Toothless."

The Dragon snarls at me, lips pulling back to show his many sharp teeth. Toothless my ass.

Hiccup laughs, which I find very inappropriate for this situation. "Toothless, he's okay," she soothes the beast, placing one of her small hands on his muzzle. I can already picture his giant jaws opening up to swallow the appendage whole... Hiccup turns back to me and says calmly, "After the Nadder incident-" I wince at the words, but she doesn't seem to notice. "-I came here and drew you in the dirt and told him what you did."

My heart plummets into the deepest pits of Hel. "Why would you do that?" I squeak. No matter what Hiccup tells you, I am proud of how calm I believe my voice is.

Hiccup shrugs nonchalantly. "He coughed up a fish for me. I told him what happened to me. Equivalent exchange."

I fail to see how that's equivalent.

I groan, putting a hand to my face. "So, you have a pet Dragon," I say, unbelieving.

She takes a deep breath, and I brace myself for the long story. "This is the Night Fury I took down. When you left my house that morning, I found him. He licked my forehead when I was hurt—that's why it healed so fast. I found him again, and he couldn't fly because I accidentally tore half of his fin off his tail. I made him a new one, and then I made a saddle…"

Upon further inspection, the Night Fury does indeed have a leather tail fin. It's most definitely Hiccup's design. Suddenly, everything makes sense. What she did in the forge, where she disappeared to everyday, why she was so tired all the time, why she got so much better in training...

"You...you ride Dragons," I say, letting it all sink in, eyes wide. "My girlfriend can ride Dragons." I slide to the ground, barely even registering the fact that i just called her my girlfriend. She doesn't seem to mind, though, because she squats next to me, laughing.

After a moment, she taps my shoulder, grinning broadly. "Wanna go for a ride?" she asks, stretching out a hand. Silently I take it and allow her to hoist me onto the Dragon's back. _I didn't realize she was so strong_, I think. She leans close to the Dragon's ear and whispers something before it-_he_-takes off. I let out a loud scream as we soar into the sky, faster than I've ever gone before, and Hiccup is encouraging it.

()()

As the sun's setting, Hiccup lands Toothless, as she insists I call him, on a small, rocky island that is apparently the home of a clan of Terrible Terrors. I hear their high-pitches screeches as Hiccup jumps off Toothless in a single bound and scoops one up in her arms. After she scratches its head, she brings it over to me. "They're not vicious, see!" she says in a delighted tone, thrusting the little green Dragon at me. "They're just...Dragons! We don't need to be afraid of them!

I don't want to upset her, so I reach a tentative hand to the reptile. Its scales are warm and smooth, and I hear a faint rumbling in its throat..._is it purring?_ I let out a nervous chuckle, still slightly afraid it will eat my hand. "I'm petting a Dragon," I say, then try it with emphasis. "I am _petting_ a _Dragon!"_

Hiccup gives me one of her dazzling smiles and sits on the edge of the island, patting the ground next to her by way of invitation. "Now do you see why I want to leave?" she asks in a small voice. Before I can reply, Toothless lets out a small whimper and I notice that the Terrors are taking off, screeching. Immediately Hiccup hops on the Fury's back and helps me up. Once again, I'm amazed at how strong she is now.

Toothless takes off into the air, and we soon join a group of other Dragons. Each one of the reptiles has a dead animal carcass on their person. "Get down!" Hiccup hisses at me, ducking herself. I do so. She obviously knows more than I do in this situation. "They're hauling in their kill," she muses.

"What does that make us?

Silence. Not good.

After a bit, we reach what seems like an island with a dormant, hollow volcano. When Toothless is inside he hides in a corner and we watch as the Dragons drop the dead animals into the pit. "They're not eating _any_ of it!" I say to her. She nods grimly.

When a Gronkle offers a mere fish as way of sacrifice, a humongous, ugly-ass Dragon rears his head and eats the smaller, pudgier one. Hiccup gasps almost inaudibly, and the big Dragons looks straight at us. Toothless takes off immediately, and we zoom out of the nest.

()()

We land back in the canyon in the moonlight, and I jump off Toothless restlessly. I grab Hiccup's shoulders and say, "We need to tell Stoic! We found the Dragons' Nest!"

A look of horror crosses her face. "We can't! If we do, they'll find out about Toothless! They'll catch him and kill him and...who knows what else!"

I wrap her in my arms even though Toothless is glaring at me, his green eyes very terrifying. "Are you still leaving?"

"I have to, Asher," she says quietly. "Toothless needs me. He can't fly on his own, and he can't stay here, so close to a village of Vikings." She reaches up to stroke my cheek, and I notice how calloused her fingers are. "I'll miss you, though."

"At least stay until after the final exam. Maybe we can convince everyone hat we don't need to kill them. If it tanks..." I trail off. She nods into my shoulder, and I feel a slight wetness dampen my shirt.

**Man, I feel bad for not updating for so long. Marching season is over now, though.I hope you aren't mad at me~**

**I've been giving this some though, but how do you guys feel about a genderswap version of _Dragons: Riders of Berk?_ I won't start it until I finish this fic at least, and maybe my Toothless one. I just wanted to know what you guys thought.**

**Also, I am looking for some artistic people to make covers for my stories. **

**Also again, if you like Ouran High School Host Club, Soul Eater, Fruits Basket, Divergent, Virals, Amour Sucre, Rune Factory, Harvest Moon, or Glee, check out my other stories and tell me if you like them.**

**In the next chapter: Asher becomes a motivational speaker. See you soon~**


	8. Danger

Danger

When I stumble into my home after dropping Hiccup on, my mother is waiting for me, making me jump. She captures me in a bone-crushing hug. "Where have you _been,_ Asher? I've been worried sick! One of the men saw a Night Fury not an hour ago!"

I pale. They saw Toothless? "I-I was..."

She pulls back and stares at my face before hers breaks out in a grin. "Asher, were you with _Hiccup?"_

My face flushes. "Uh..."

"I take it you were, then." She lets out a bawdy laugh. "Well, tell me next time you're sneaking out with the chief's daughter so I don't worry, okay? Go get some sleep; you don't want to miss the final exam tomorrow." With that, she bounds up the stairs, leaving me to my thoughts.

()()

The next morning finds Hiccup standing at the entrance to the arena, nervously wringing her hands. Her small body is trembling something fierce, and I don't fight the urge to comfort her. Not anymore. "Be careful out there," I say, standing directly behind her and making her jump slightly. She lets out an adorable squeak and turns around to throw her arms around my middle, prompting me to wrap my arms around her body. I start stroking her hair in what I hope is a comforting gesture.

"I don't want to fight him," she whispers against my chest. "He's scared, too! I can tell!"

I catch her face in my hands and make her look at me. "You're Hiccup," I say, kissing her smooth forehead. "You'll figure something out." I don't resist the urge to capture her lips in mine gently, but the kiss quickly becomes something more as I feel Hiccup's hands gripping the front of my tunic.

We break apart when a familiar voice calls, "Stoic's gonna be _pissed."_ Gobber struts past us to the lever, humming about how wonderful it must be to be young, and Hiccup lets out a bark of a laugh.

She turns back to me and leans against my chest. "I love you," she says, startling me slightly.

"I love you, too." I push her lightly, playfully, towards the gate. "Good luck, Hiccup."

She nods and puts on her helmet before she strides into the arena.

I don't join the rest of our friends in the stands, instead opting to wait for Hiccup right where I am. Plus, if this goes wrong, I'll be right here to help her. When Gobber pulls the lever to release the Nightmare, I brace myself for what's about to happen.

Hiccup stares into its eyes for a moment before her face softens minutely and she drops her shield and dagger. The crowd gasps, and I hear Gobber swear. "It's okay," she says to the Dragon softly. She walks towards it fearlessly yet respectfully, moving slowly. Her gaze drifts to the seats before she takes off the helmet, says "I'm not one of them," and tosses it to the ground.

Stoic roars, "Stop the fight!" as the Nightmare walks towards Hiccup's outstretched hand.

"No!" Hiccup yells back. Her voice drops slightly as she says, "We don't have to fight them! Watch!"

"I said, STOP THE FIGHT!" Stoic's hammer bangs against the metal rail. Startled, the Dragon lashes out at the nearest thing-Hiccup. Within seconds she's pinned under its massive claws.

"Hiccup!" I scream fearfully. I slip under the gate and grab Hiccup's discarded shield, throwing it at the beast. It looks at me, releasing Hiccup, and she runs to me quickly. Gobber distracts it now, and Hiccup screams when it roars at him.

Suddenly, Hiccup goes pale. "Toothless, no!" she screams at the sky, and not a second later a black mass stands in front of Hiccup, protecting her. "NIGHT FURY!" yells one of the slower Vikings.

Stoic jumps into the ring menacingly, raising his hammer at Toothless. The Dragon's mouth opens to fire, and Hiccup yells, "NO, TOOTHLESS!" His mouth closes and he turns to look at Hiccup, but Stoic pounces before he gets the chance. "Dad, no! He thought you were trying to hurt me!" When she moves to go to the Dragon, I catch hold of her arms. "Asher, let go! Toothless needs me!"

I'm afraid for her. She's not thinking clearly. "They won't listen! You can't win this fight, Hiccup!"

"I have to try!" she cries, anguished. I'm startled and loosen my grip, leaving her all the space she needs to pry her thin arms from my grasp. I fumble to catch her again but to no avail. "Toothless, hold on! I'm coming!" Gobber catches her waist quickly and drags her out of the arena, sobbing, while I follow. I don't want to see Toothless getting hurt any more than she does.

()()

When I find Hiccup again, she's standing on a cliff, watching the ships take off and crying. "Well, this sucks," I say, trying to cheer her up. She turns to me, face contorted in pain. "You've lost your family, your best friend, and your village. I wouldn't want to be you right now."

Her sarcasm comes back as she says, "Thanks for summing that up for me, Asher. You're a really great boyfriend." Her eyes close violently and she drops to the ground. "Why didn't I just kill that damn Dragon when I had the chance?" she demands, mostly to herself.

It's my turn to change someone's life. "Yeah. Anyone else would've done it. So why didn't you?"

She says quietly, "I couldn't."

"That's not an answer."

When she stands back up and glares at me, I know what I'm doing is working. By upsetting her, I'll get her true thoughts out of her. "Why is this so important to you?" she demands.

I grab her shoulders gently. "You've changed the entire way I see the world, Hiccup," I tell her. "I used to think about how it would feel to kill a Dragon in front of the whole village, become a Viking, maybe impress you in the process. But, now, I _want_ a Dragon. I want the bond you and Toothless have. So I want to remember what you say, right now."

I'm surprised myself that I said all of that and I'm worrying if I sounded corny when Hiccup looks away. "Because..." she starts, "when I looked into his eyes, I didn't see malice or evil. I saw fear. He was just as scared as I was. When I looked at him...I saw myself."

I nod. "He must be really scared right now. So...what are you going to do about it?"

"Probably something stupid," she deadpans.

I give her a grin. "Good, but you've already done that."

She starts to bounce slightly, an excited look crossing her face. "Then, something crazy." She turns and runs towards the arena. "Get the others!" she orders just before she disappears.

It's then that I decide. No matter the danger, I'll follow Hiccup to the ends of the earth.

Even if it means that I won't make it, because I'm pretty sure what's about to happen will be the death of me.

**Wow...I don't know what made me write that last bit ^-^**

**Anyway, today's my parents' anniversary. Seventeen years...wow. **

**In the next chapter: Asher meets a new friend. See you soon~**


	9. The Green Death

**Hey guys! I love you all _so_ much for sticking with my erratic schedule, but I promise that I'm getting semi-close to finishing this so I can work on TDGH. Pinky swear!**

**BTW, I wrote a real quick one-shot about Asher and Hiccup, and I'll give you the link at the end of the chapter. I thought that I might continue on it later, but it just came to me in my study hall today!**

**Another thing! I'm turning fifteen on Monday!**

The Green Death

The first house I reach is the Thorston house. Tuff opens the door with an irritated "What?"

"Tuff," I say seriously. "You and Ruff need to come with me, like _now._" Behind him, I see the girl twin giving me a curious glance. "There's no time to explain; you just need to trust me on this."

He rolls his eyes at me. "If you hadn't noticed, most of the village-the ones that are still _here_, that is-is pretty traumatized by Hiccup's b-be-betrayal." I feel a hint of a smirk form at the corners of my mouth as he sounds the word out. "I'm pretty sure that whatever it is can wait."

"It's _about_ Hiccup," I say. "Just come _on_! Hiccup has an idea, and it might be the only way to save everyone!"

Tuffnut is trying (I mean, really, _sincerely _trying) to come up with a clever response when Ruffnut speaks up. "What the Hel? Let's go, brother dear." As she exits the house, she smacks her less intelligent twin upside the head, and I have to work to fight back a laugh.

We pick up Fishlegs next. As soon as Hiccup's name slips past my lips, he's ready to go. Again, I feel a little twinge of jealousy. He's really devoted to her.

Snotlout is last. He glares at me hotly for "being in on the whole thing" and complains the entire trek to the arena. I'm starting to regret bringing him along, but Hiccup asked for everybody.

When we reach the arena, Hiccup is standing in the middle of the stone, arms crossed over her chest and brow furrowed in worry. Without saying a word, she pulls an all-too-familiar lever-the one to open the Nightmare's cage. Her voice is soothing when the monstrosity comes out, saying "Hey there, big guy. Nice and easy." Blindly, she gropes the air behind her for a moment before she catches Snotlout's hand, which is shaking like a leaf. He lets out an amusing squeak of terror and tries to pull back, but Hiccup's upper body strength is much more than we could ever calculate, and she jerks her cousin's beefy hand towards the Nightmare's snout and it replaces her own.

Everyone's looking at her differently. Fishlegs looks like he's about to kiss her feet, Tuffnut looks like he's about to run away screaming, Ruffnut looks _way_ too excited, and Snotlout looks like he's going to pass out. As for me, I feel pride swell up in my chest. Hiccup, _my_ Hiccup, is going to change their worlds like she changed mine.

She scurries over to a pile of rope and holds a length of it up. "You'll need something to help you hold on."

Fishlegs goes pale and stutters, "Y-You want us to r-ride Dragons?"

I feel overcome and I move to wrap one of my arms around her waist. It feels hard. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her ears go red. "It's actually pretty awesome," I say to the others, whose looks are unbelieving (well, except for Snotlout, who looks like he's terrified to see what the inside of a Dragon looks like.).

Hiccup steps out of my arm and says, "Well, Fishlegs, you get the Gronkle." She pulls out a piece of light green grass, and I realize that that's the same grass I saw that day, that day that seemed so long ago. "This is Dragon Nip. It'll help him calm down."

While Fishlegs tries not to wet his pants, Hiccup moves to the twins. "You two get the Zippleback. If you feed a fish to both heads, they'll grow on you." Without waiting for a response, she turns to me. Her eyes aren't soft, like they used to be. The eyes she turns on me are the hardened eyes of a warrior with the intelligence of a scribe. "You get the Nadder. You just need to approach it slowly and it won't see you as a threat."

I nod and move to release the Nadder's lever. The Dragon steps out, light blue scales shimmering in the low light. Its birdlike eyes land on me, and it hisses slightly. Remembering Hiccup's advice, I hold a hand out to her-it is most _certainly _a her. "Hey there, girl. I'm not gonna hurt you." I speak softly to her, as Hiccup had to the Nightmare. I take one slow step towards her, then another. Her breathing slows and, eventually, I feel her snout push against my hand. The scales are warm, just as Toothless's are. I'm only snapped out of my trance-like state when Hiccup helps tie me on the Nadder and climbs on behind me, holding my waist tightly.

I look back at her in alarm. "What about you?" I ask, fearful she'll fall off during the flight.

She gives me an irritated look. "The first time I was in the air, I was bareback on Toothless's _tail_."

I immediately lost that fight.

Hiccup counts to three, and we all take off.

()()

The Dragons' Nest is just how I imagined it, but for the gaping hole in the side of the volcano. The Queen has set fire to almost all of our ships. Just as she's about to deliver the final blow, I urge my Nadder to shoot at it.

The Vikings turn their attention to us, and most of them go pale. From behind me, Hiccup barks out orders like a general to her troops.

Don't tell anyone I said this, but it was pretty hot.

"Up!" she shouts, and we all turn up in sync. "Fishlegs, break it down!"

Fishlegs take a second to analyze it. "Okay, heavily armored skull and tail made for bashing and crushing. Steer clear of both. Small eyes, large nostrils. Relies on hearing and smell."

Hiccup takes this into consideration and delivers more orders. One, however, catches my attention. "Do your job and don't get killed! If it gets too dangerous retreat." I don't know why, but I love her even more now. Not many people would put more concern on their warriors' safety than the battle at hand.

We fly over the burning fleet, and suddenly Hiccup's ears prick. "A little more!" A moment later: "That's the ship."

I realize that this very well may be the last time I ever see Hiccup. I turn my head and give her a quick kiss on the lips, ordering, "Be careful, Hiccup." I'm trying _really_ hard not to cry.

"I will. Go help the others!" Then she leaps off the Dragon and lands with a huff on the ship.

I turn the Nadder towards the battle that's raging. "On your toes, guys!" I bark.

They all shout affirmatives and continue with their various duties. Snotlout somehow fell off his Dragon and Fishlegs is on the ground, struggling to get out from under his. The twins are arguing with each other on top of their Dragon. I'm starting to wonder if this was really a good idea when I see that Ruff and Tuff are only _play_ arguing, and Snotlout is beating the Dragon's eyes with his hammer viciously.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a black blur shoot into the sky. I holler, "She's up! Get Snotlout out of there!" The twins steer the Zippleback just close enough to the Red Death for Snotlout to leap onto one of it's necks. I vaguely hear him cry, "That was awesome!"

Hiccup and Toothless aggravate the Green Death and it takes off after them. My heart lurches. _Please, whoever's listening,_ I pray, _let her be okay._

The battle, from what we can see, is ferocious. Fire lights up the dreary sky every few seconds and I can clearly see the silhouette of the Green Death. With each roar I grow more worried.

After what seems like a million years, the body of the gargantuan Dragon falls into the ocean, and the crowd of Vikings begin to cheer. I, however, am on edge. _Where's Hiccup?_Suddenly a huge crash is heard, and I see a large black lump. I race after Stoic, who is charging to where Toothless fell. All I can think is _Hiccup, if you're dead, I'll never forgive you!_

When I catch up to him, he is hunched over in a defeated manner next to Toothless, who looks very sad. I stop dead in my tracks. No….NO!

Stoic is crying.

Hiccup is dead.

"I'm sorry," Stoic is saying over and over. "I'm so sorry, Hiccup. Ya made me so proud of ya."

I slide to my knees. Hiccup _can't_ be dead. A few tears slide down my cheeks. Who will teach me how to forge a bond with my Nadder? Who will be there to stutter and flush when someone surprises her? Who will be able to love me like she did? I murmur her name.

Toothless sends us an understanding look and opens his wings.

There she is, lying, mostly unhurt in her Dragon's arms. The only one who gets to Hiccup faster than I do is Stoic, who presses his ear to her chest. "She's alive!" he calls.

I drop next to Toothless's head and hug the Night Fury tight. "Thank you, Toothless!" I sob. "Thank you for saving Hiccup."

Toothless moans sadly and gestures to Stoic, who is gaping at her head. I move over…

…and my breath catches.

Aside from the expected cuts and burns, her left eye is...I won't even describe it. It's never going to be used again, that's for sure. My heart rate picks up. What if Hiccup won't be able to fly anymore? Will she be able to do _anything_? I carefully reach out to touch her face, slowly in case Toothless freaks out, and I feel the tears begin to flow once more.

Gobber waddles up behind us and says, "Well, th' big beast's gonna need a new tail, eh? Should I make it t' match her eyepatch?"

I whip my head around and glare at her mentor. "Not. Funny."

"He's right," Stoic says, wiping his eyes. "Her eye's useless now, and I won' have her walkin' around wi' a hole in her head."

I hear a cry behind me, and when I turn around, I see Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snotlout charging towards us. I open my arms and enforce a group hug. "Thor almighty, am I glad to see you!" I cry.

After a moment, Fishlegs says, "Is Hiccup okay?"

I look down. "Define 'okay,'" I say slowly.

Ruffnut covers her mouth. "Oh, gods! Is it bad?"

"Her left eye is gone. It must have been hit by some fire and melted or something. Toothless is really upset about it."

Snotlout looks disbelieving. "Are you serious?" he demands. He grabs the front of my shirt, forgetting that I was his idol for a few moments of genuine concern for his cousin. "If you're screwing with me, Asher, I'll kill you."

"I'll help," agrees Tuffnut. For once, I feel respect towards the two boys.

"I'd never kid about this," I insist. "Gobber thinks she'll be fine otherwise, though."

"And since when is Gobber a medic?" Snotlout sounds absolutely worried. I smile.

"Gobber love Hiccup; he wouldn't lie about her well-being," I say calmly.

Suddenly, I feel a tap on my shoulder. Stoic says, "Boy, you comin' wi' us? We're goin' t' treat Hiccup's wounds."

"Yeah, I'm coming." I turn back to my friends and say, "Start calming the Dragons down, guys. From the looks of the fleet, we'll need them to get home."

"Got it!" they chorus. They turn and run towards where the Dragons are returning on the beach.

I follow Gobber and Stoic, Toothless beside me, as they carry Hiccup to the medical tent.

**'Kay, guys! How'd you like it? **

**Here's the link to my one-shot: s/8721291/1/Surprises**

**In the next chapter: Asher waits desperately for Hiccup to wake up. See you soon~**


	10. Waiting

**Yesterday's Riders episode made me SQUEAL like a little girl! They _finally_ kissed! Can I get an amen?**

**Anyway, here's the next chappie!**

**Waiting  
**

I jerk awake as someone taps my shoulder. I lift my head from the nest my arms have made on the pallet where Hiccup rests and look up to see Stoic, a concerned look on his face. "Son, ye need t' go home. Yer mum's worried 'bout ya."

I look back to Hiccup's pale, sleeping face. The crater where her left eye once was is now covered by a red eye patch with a skull and crossbones on it. A large chunk of her hair was burned off in the fire and her face, legs, and arms are covered with burns and scars. She hasn't woken.

We returned to Berk a week ago, two days after the battle. Hiccup and Toothless got heroes' welcomes as Gobber and Stoic carried her to her house. Toothless begrudgingly allowed me to sit vigil by her side for the entirety of this week, for which I am grateful.

"I wanna be here when Hiccup wakes up," I say quietly.

Stoic puts his beefy hand on my shoulder. "I know. Just go home for a while. If she wakes up, I'll send somebody to get ya. Besides, ye need to bond wi' yer Dragon, right? Ye can't let Hiccup get _too_ far ahead o' ye."

It's a bit surreal, talking to the man that popped a Dragon's head clean of its shoulders as an infant about creating a bond with one of the creatures. I stand slowly, stumbling a bit. "You're right, sir. Do you promise to get me?"

"Ye have my word."

I nod slowly, wave a small goodbye to Toothless, and kiss Hiccup's hand lightly before I leave the house.

()()

My mom nearly suffocates me with her hug when I return home. "Asher Hoffander, if ye _ever_ scare me like that again," she chokes, "ye'll be paddled so hard ye won' be able t' sit for a month!"

I haven't seen Mom cry since my dad died. It really hits me hard now that I could have _died._ "I'm sorry, Mum," I say, hugging her back just as hard. We just stand there, hugging each other and crying for a few moments before she pulls back and kisses my cheek.

"How's Hiccup?" she asks. My mood sinks lower.

"She hasn't woken up yet. Mum, I'm scared. What if she doesn't wake up?" My tears are flowing freely, and my rep will be ruined if this ever gets out to the village. "I don't know what I'd do!"

She gathers me back in her arms and begins to rock me. "She'll be okay, Asher. I promise." Then she smiles and wipes my face with her fingers. "That girl's been blessed by th' gods."

I nod into her shoulder. "Thanks, Mum."

()()

The Nadder is most definitely a female. I decide to name her Stormfly.

I sit with her in my bedroom, carefully stroking her snout. She seems to calm around me, and I feel a swell of pride. _I hope Hiccup will be proud of me._

A few tears drip out of my eyes, and I'm surprised when I feel Stormfly's snout bumping my hands. Her head falls into my lap, and she doesn't protest when I wrap my arms around her and cry again. "She has to wake up," I whisper to her. "Hiccup has to wake up."

()()

As Stormfly and I wander the village the next day, many people do a double take at the sight of her. It still hasn't completely settled in yet.

I make my way to the Meade Hall. As soon as they see me, Fishlegs, Tuffnut, Ruffnut, and Snotlout scurry over. "How's Hiccup?" Fishlegs asks as Snotlout gives me a "manly" hug.

My face drops. "It doesn't look like she's close to waking up yet."

Ruffnut turns away, and I presume it's because she's hiding her wet eyes.

Tuffnut knocks me in the shoulder comfortingly, and Fishlegs wraps his arms around me in a bone-crushing bear hug. _See, Hiccup? You've got a lot of people waiting for you. You _need _to wake up!_

I don't cry in front of them. I don't. I leave and go to Toothless's canyon to.

Gods, I miss her.

**This was pretty much mostly filler, but I wanted to explore what Asher/Astrid might've been going through during Hiccup's near-coma. **

**In the next chapter: Asher and Hiccup are reunited. See you soon~**


	11. A New Life

**Man...that was pretty quick, huh? I'll try to update TDGH soon, but no promises.**

**A New Life  
**

A few days later Stoic still hasn't sent for me. I'm starting to get very, _very_ worried. What if she's really not waking up?

Suddenly, I hear a roar as Snotlout takes off on his Dragon, the Nightmare called Hookfang. Fishlegs follows on Meatlug, and Ruff and Tuff on Belch and Barf. I look at Stormfly, who is looking at the sky sadly.

I haven't ridden since we returned to Berk. It just wouldn't feel right without Hiccup.

A group of Vikings begins to cheer somewhere and I assume that Gobber's just gotten done retelling the tale of the battle.

Until I hear something else.

"Hic-cup! Hic-cup!"

I start running.

The boy who was sent for me is almost trampled, and I give him a quick apology before barreling forward again. _Hiccuphiccuphiccuphiccup._

And there she is, looking as confused and as beautiful as ever. Her father's arm is wrapped around her and I almost swear I see tears in his eyes.

I sneak up behind her and smack her left shoulder lightly. "Ow, Asher!" she cries, pretending to look hurt. Suddenly, she's all I see. I grab her, pull her into my arms, and kiss her, hard. She's the only thing that's real right now.

When we separate, I pull her back into my arms, letting my tears flow. I don't care that the entire village is watching right now. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, Hiccup! I mean it!"

"Night Fury!"

Suddenly Toothless is next to us, and Hiccup pats his black, scaly tail lightly. Gobber pushes through the crowd and gives us a toothy smile. "How are ye, Hiccup? Can ye see alright through one eye?"

"Huh?" Her hands reach up and softly press against the fabric of her eye patch. I see her face pale slightly. _Hiccup._

"Yer eye was blown out by the Red Death's fire, lass. I made it t' match new tail fin fer Toothless." Gobber holds up the matching tail fin. Hiccup almost immediately forgets about her eye and grabs for it greedily.

I wipe my eyes. She's finally back. "Ready to go for a fly?"

She nods, but I'm suddenly swept off the ground by Stoic, who growls menacingly, "Ye'll have t' wait until we have a little talk, son." I feel the blood drain from my face, and behind me, Hiccup giggles.

"Calm down, Dad. Asher is a gentleman." I see a twinkle in her eye as she lays a hand on his arm.

He sets me down slowly, glaring at me all the while. "I'll take yer word fer it, but I'll be talkin' t' ye soon, boy."

I gulp loudly. "Y-yes, Sir."

Hiccup grabs my arm tightly, filling me with warmth. _I missed you, Hiccup._ "Come on, let's go!" she whines like a child, making me smile. I help her get on Toothless after she attaches his new tail fin before I climb on Stormfly and we take off.

Hiccup is more special than she knows. She's changed our entire existence just by being herself, and I love her for that. She's done what only she can do.

And if we ever forget that, all we have to do is look up.

**Wow.**

**It's over.**

**I'm really gonna miss this story. I hope you guys liked it, and again, don't hold your breath for a TDGH update.**

**I love you all~**


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